The Power of Quiet Leadership—Action, Impact, and the Climate Crisis with Tenzin Seldon

Tenzin Seldon (0:00)

We talk about the Amazon being our lungs, but do we ever ask who is protecting her? One of our institutional investors said, well, we don't typically invest in climate, but we like your returns, and that's what I want to hear. It's a $23 trillion economy in the next five to seven years.

Michael Gervais (0:15)

What does it take to lead with purpose without losing your sense of self? Welcome back, or welcome to the Finding Mastery podcast. I am your host, Dr. Michael Gervais, by trade and training a high-performance psychologist. This week's guest is Tenzin Seldon, a global climate advocate, a human rights leader, and a spiritual force.

Tenzin Seldon (0:34)

Urgency has this caveat that it has to be loud, ferocious, but where I grew up with my parents, I learned that urgency actually is quiet and consistent. It's about showing up every single day to solve the same problem.

Michael Gervais (0:46)

Born to Tibetan refugee parents and then educated at Stanford and Oxford, Tenzin's journey is a remarkable blend of activism and grounded wisdom.

Tenzin Seldon (0:55)

I really felt in all of my classes that it did not matter. Where I came from, when you're treated with absolute equality, it really allows for someone to be able to explore their full intellectual, psychological capacity and that's what Stanford allowed me to do.

Michael Gervais (1:11)

We talk about the class of being the first, the quiet power of faith and ritual, and how she's learned to navigate systems while staying true to her values.

Tenzin Seldon (1:19)

It's hard to know what your gifts are if you don't know who you are. I spent a considerable amount of time to naturally, not just become an introvert and be comfortable in the introversion, but also in the introspection.

Michael Gervais (1:33)

Now, as you listen, maybe you can notice how Tenzin stays rooted in compassion while navigating very complex global issues.

Tenzin Seldon (1:40)

Sometimes don't sleep at night thinking about soon-to-be refugees who will not have homes. If you look at Maldives, Miami, that are expected to be underwater, and we're not talking underwater in 50, 60 years, we're talking in decades. And so what do you do with the mass of people that have to now relocate?

Michael Gervais (1:54)

And then hopefully you'll reflect on how you respond when the demands of the world challenge your values, when those demands challenge your sense of being common. With that, let's jump right in. So Tenzin, how are you?

Tenzin Seldon (2:11)

I'm good. Thank you so much for having me, Michael.

Michael Gervais (2:13)

Yeah, this is great. So we will just bring the listener in. We met through a mutual friend.

Tenzin Seldon (2:19)

Yes.

Michael Gervais (2:19)

And Brian is my financial advisor. And he pulled me aside and he's like, there's someone that you have to meet. And we're at a surf ranch, Kelly Slater's surf ranch of all things. You're new to surfing, right?

Tenzin Seldon (2:33)

I was new. That was the first time.

Michael Gervais (2:34)

That was the first time. I grew up surfing. And so, and then our conversation just felt like it was natural.

Tenzin Seldon (2:42)

Yes.

Michael Gervais (2:42)

Like it was supposed to happen that way.

Tenzin Seldon (2:44)

So at the ping pong table, it was at the big table. When we were playing ping pong.

Michael Gervais (2:49)

Yeah. And so Brian, thank you for making this conversation come to life.

Tenzin Seldon (2:55)

Brian's one of our investors and exceptional wealth advisor.

Michael Gervais (2:59)

He is. Oh, I didn't know he's part of your fund. I did not know that.

Tenzin Seldon (3:02)

He is.

Michael Gervais (3:03)

Oh, he's bearing the lead. He is bearing the lead. Okay. So I want to read something about you. And then these are your accolades and it's a little, a little overwhelming when I read what you've done with your life. But I just want to list it. Okay. You are a globally recognized climate leader, founder of multiple companies and venture capitalist over two decades of experience in the climate sector. You're the founder and managing partner of Pulse Fund, which is what we're just mentioning, a venture capitalist climate fund, a top graduate of Stanford University. Well done. The first Tibetan American Rhodes scholar at the University of Oxford.

Well done. And you're also named an innovative disruptor at the United Nations and most likely to impact the next century by Forbes magazine. So when I read that back to you, how does that land with you?

Tenzin Seldon (3:59)

I think that doesn't land because for me, I've always felt that I'm much more than my accolades or what on paper, or I know the experience of what it took to get there. So I think that it's a real experience for me and it's not about looking back as much as it is about being able to fully focus on where I am now.